Rainstorms
by SoggySlothSocks
Summary: Shy, quiet Matthew Williams figures the most exciting part of his life is watching hockey on Saturday nights. Until loud, obnoxious Gilbert Beilschmidt comes along, taking it upon himself to shake things up and show Matt how to really have fun. Of course, neither one was prepared for something so distracting as "love" to rear its ugly head. PruCan HighschoolAU
1. Chapter 1

It was a rainy, miserable autumn morning as Matthew Williams stepped out on to his front porch, pulling the door closed behind him. He shifted his backpack on his shoulders and hooked his thumbs into the straps, setting off down the street after his older brother, who was currently laughing and calling back at Matthew to 'hurry the hell up'. The fourteen year old sighed at the far too exuberant teen walking along ahead of him, but quickened his pace to catch up with Alfred anyways.

He really didn't understand how his brother could be so goddamn eager to get to school this early in the morning. But then again, when _wasn't_ the sixteen year old eager about something? Alfred tended to throw himself wholeheartedly into whatever he was doing, whether it was walking to school or playing football, and always seemed to command attention when doing it. His natural charisma and boundless energy could charm just about anyone, and he was easily the most popular boy in school, possibly even in their town. Everything about Alfred was larger than life, which stood in direct contrast to everything about Matthew.

Matthew was quiet, thoughtful, and painfully shy. He didn't play sports, he didn't command attention, and lord knows he couldn't charm anyone if he tried. Despite both brothers living in the same small town all their lives, very few people seemed to know that Alfred Jones even had a brother (well, half brother. They had different fathers, hence the last names). Even though they shared virtually the same facial features, Matthew's perhaps a bit softer and less defined, and the same wheat-gold hair colour, people just didn't really connect the two. Unless of course they were mistaking Matthew for Alfred, which was never a fun experience for the shy boy.

Matthew let out another tired sigh, brushing some of his near-shoulder length hair out of his face. He really should get it cut, though he was a bit worried it would end up looking a bit too much like Alfred's, and then people wouldn't have any way to differentiate the two. Matthew kept his eyes on his feet which were shuffling lazily down the wet sidewalk as his brother seemed to practically bounce along. Really he just wanted to get school over with so he could go home and watch some movies or something. He didn't have much to look forward to in his school days. Where Alfred had the opportunity to go and hang out with his many friends and talk about sports and chicks and who knows what else, Matthew didn't really have anyone. Sure, there were acquaintances and people who he had lunch with, but he tended to only hang out on the fringes of friend groups, not really being memorable enough for anyone to want to get to know him better. He wasn't complaining, though. It's not like he was disliked or anything, and he almost preferred it this way. Sure, it never felt good to be ignored, but Matthew tended to enjoy being alone or with his dog, Kumajiro. Really, there wasn't much for him at school, but at least he could always come home to his lovable slobbering fluffball (the dog, not Alfred).

The two brothers walked on, Alfred chatting away about some new band he had just found and Matthew pretending to listen, offering the occasional hum or nod of his head. The morning air was cold, even for autumn, and smelled of salt water and fresh rain. Matthew shoved his hands into the pockets of his faded red hoodie and suppressed a yawn. He didn't want to be rude to Alfred, who'd probably think he was boring his little bro. Which he was, but that didn't mean Matt would be obvious about it. They walked their familiar route down the same streets they'd been using since elementary school, past the park and the old fishing pier and the only restaurant in the entire town. Alfred frequently talked about moving to the big city, mainly New York or LA or somewhere equally "cool" as he had put it. That is, somewhere in the states. Matthew had no doubt that his brother would manage to get a football scholarship or something similar and go off to play in the big leagues or something. Things always tended to work out well for Alfred.

Ten minutes later the two boys were strolling through the front doors of their small high school, swept up in the crowds (crowded by small town standards, at least) of other students. Alfred caught the eye of some of his friends and offered Matt a brief "Later, dude" before running off to greet them. Matthew gave a small wave that wasn't even seen before navigating his way towards his locker, trying to push as politely through the other students as possible.

By the time Matthew had made it to his ugly beige locker in the music hall (chosen because it was the hall with the least amount of traffic) he had about four minutes before the start of class. Even though his first class, Canadian History, was on the opposite end of the school, he made no move to rush. Being practically invisible meant that he could easily slip into the room any time between the bell and roll call without drawing attention. So Matthew shoved his bag into his narrow locker, pulled out his binder and textbook, and began meandering his way towards room 102, stopping to grab a quick drink of water. Sure enough, the bell rang before he got there and he made no move to pick up the pace, knowing the teacher wouldn't even notice.

By now the halls were mostly deserted, save for the occasional straggler here and there. Once or twice one of Alfred's friends called or waved to him and, not feeling like stopping to correct them, Matthew simply waved back and kept going. Really, you'd think the fact that Matthew was shorter and skinnier than his jock brother, as well as younger, would be a pretty obvious tip off for people, especially those acquainted with Alfred who knew that he definitely didn't shuffle tiredly the way Matt does down the hallway.

He shrugged it off, though, and continued on to History, probably the most boring class there was, second only to math. Just as Matthew was turning a corner into the hall of his first class, however, he was knocked clean off his feet by what felt like a brick fucking wall slamming into him. He fell backwards and landed hard on his back, winding him, and the other person (who was in fact a human and not a moving wall) came down on top of him.

"Scheiße! Oww," The other person groaned, cussing in some kind of language Matthew wasn't familiar with. Not that he was too focused on that right now, considering the stars still swimming in his vision. The guy on top of him seemed to recover faster than Matthew, as he pushed himself up off of the smaller boy.

"Oi, dude, you alright?" Matthew heard the other boy ask in what sounded like a thick German accent.

That was unusual, Matt couldn't think of anyone he'd ever come across in person with an accent like that. Opening his eyes that he'd just realized had been clenched shut, Matthew was met by possibly the strangest person he'd ever seen kneeling over him, face about inches from his own. The boy looked around his age, perhaps older, with a shock of white hair and bright red eyes. Matthew probably looked pretty dumb, eyes open wide and mouth gaping, because the guy leaning over him took on an expression of mild amusement.

"What, did ya hit your head your head too hard or are you just in awe of my awesome self?" The boy said with an air of total and utter confidence (some would even call it cockiness. Actually most. Most would call it cockiness).

"Uhmm," was about all Matthew could get out as he sat up, rubbing his head gingerly.

The other boy just appeared even more amused at this, and stood up with a smirk plastered on his abnormally pale face. And that was saying something, considering this was Canada, where most people didn't tend to get much time in the sun. "Well lemme introduce my awesome self, then. The name's Gilbert," the boy said, offering his hand to help Matthew up. He hesitantly gripped the outstretched hand and was immediately yanked to his feet as if he weighed absolutely nothing to Gilbert.

"Thanks," he murmured, offering the other a weak smile. "Uhm, it's nice to meet you, I guess," Matthew said, trying to be polite while his head and back throbbed painfully.

"Damn straight it is. Y'know, I'd normally kick someone's ass for running into me like that, but you seem alright, kid. You got an awesome name, dude?" Gilbert grinned sharply, and Matthew couldn't help but feel a little unsettled by the predatory smile and creepy red eyes of the other boy. He tried to mask this with a smile, however, as to not be rude. Not bothering to point out the fact that it was technically Gilbert who'd run into him, Matthew replied.

"Uhm, my name's Matthew," He said in a voice just barely above a whisper. He really wasn't too good at meeting new people.

"Huh? Speak up, I don't have super hearing or some shit."

"O-oh, sorry. My name's Matthew," he tried again, as loud as he dared his voice to go.

"Matthew, huh? Cool name. Not as cool as mine, but it's close. Can I call ya Mattie? Or how bout Matt?"

"Uhm, sure, I guess" Matthew hesitantly replied. Gilbert's weird friendliness was kinda throwing him off, but he did his best to smile as politely as possible. The guy was clearly new, so maybe he just didn't realize that people didn't typically stop to make new friends after bowling each other over on the way to class. Speaking of which, he really should be getting there because he was about five minutes late by now and the teacher was probably starting roll call. Matthew bent down to gather his fallen textbook and binder, and prepared to politely excuse himself from this extremely strange and awkward encounter.

"Yo, dude," Gilbert said before Matt could open his mouth. "You mind, like, showing me to the office? I gotta register or some shit and I can't find the damn place."

Matthew toyed with the idea of just apologizing and getting to class and probably never interacting with this weirdo again, but his politeness got the better of him. He couldn't very well leave the poor guy to wander the school lost and alone. With an inaudible sigh, Matthew forced himself to smile and said, "Sure, follow me." With that, he turned and set off down the opposite end of the hall.

"Sweet, thanks man. You're, like, officially awesome," Gilbert said as he fell into step beside Matthew.

"O-oh, really, it's no trouble," Matthew said. And really, he almost meant it. It's not like he minded a late on his record all that much. "So, um. You're new here, right?"

"No, Matt. I've gone to this school my whole life. We've just never met and this morning I just spontaneously forgot where the office was," Gilbert deadpanned.

"Oh, s-sorry. That was a stupid question."

"Pfft, relax, man. I'm just messin' with ya," Gilbert said, punching Matthew playfully in the shoulder. "Anyways, ya, my family just moved here from Germany."

"Oh really? What brings you to Canada?" Matthew asked, rubbing his abused shoulder.

"My old man got offered a job at some fancy corporation that was, like, twice what he was getting paid back home. So of course he picked us up and moved us to the middle of "butt-fuck nowhere", as I've heard this place called," Gilbert explained, making exaggerated quotation marks with his fingers. Matthew chuckled at the German boy's description.

"Which corporation?" He asked next, if only to keep from lapsing into an awkward silence. Although, with Gilbert, he wasn't sure if there was such thing. He seemed like the type who could make conversation with anyone, sort of like Alfred.

"Ah I don't remember the name. Some car company with a factory just outside town, I think. My pop's like the manager or something." Gilbert seemed pretty disinterested, shoving his hands into his faded jean pockets. " Anyways how bout you? You been stuck here your whole life or what?"

"Yep. Born and raised right here."

"Geeze, it must get so boooring. Like what is there to even do? Totally not awesome, man."

Matthew laughed at Gilbert's groaning. "I'm sure you'll find something to do, it's not as quiet a town as it seems at first.

"Anyways, here's the office," Matthew said, stopping in front of a set of glass double doors through which they could see a stern looking old woman typing away at her desk. She looked thoroughly uninviting. "That's Mrs. Finch," Matthew informed upon seeing Gilbert eyeing her warily. "I'm not quite sure why she works here, since she seems to hate teenagers with a fiery passion. Just don't take it too personally if she calls you an insolent cretin or anything like that, alright?"

"Heh, Thanks for the warning," Gilbert smirked. "See you around, Matty." The albino boy then raised his fist towards Matthew, and it took him a moment to realize he was expected to bump it with his own. He was rather unused to this ritual of parting, as it was always more Alfred's style than his own, but he humored the strange boy before turning to head to his first class. Behind him though he could hear Gilbert enter the office with a loud "Yo!" and he smiled and shook his head.

When Matthew finally managed to slip into History, he was almost fifteen minutes late, though the teacher didn't even look up from her reading. There was in fact a bright side to being overlooked, and Matthew was pretty good at exploiting it.

The remaining half hour was spent gazing out the window and wondering how a certain German boy was getting along. Matt figured that may well be the only interaction he'd ever have with the guy, considering how easily he tended to be forgotten. Gilbert would be hanging out with tons of other friends in no time, and probably never spare another thought to the quiet blonde boy who'd helped him out on his first day.

If only he knew how wrong he was.

 **A/N: So, this is my first ever fanfiction, woo! I know it's not the most original idea in the world, but I figured it would be fun to write, and I just love this pairing! Please feel free to review and tell me what you think; constructive criticism is always welcome! If you're interested in reading more, I've already got this story mostly mapped out, and plan on updating shortly. Thank you for your time :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Matthew didn't end up seeing Gilbert for the rest of the day, though he certainly heard about the strange German boy. Word spread quickly around the school of the "really creepy looking new guy," as some so eloquently put it. Matthew thought this was terribly rude, considering it didn't exactly seem to be the poor guy's choice to look the way he did. Not that Gilbert seemed like the type of person to even give a crap about what people said, but still.

Of course, all thoughts on this subject were quickly pushed from everyone's mind as the final bell rang on a Friday afternoon, and the students had only one collective goal: get the hell out of the school. Matthew grabbed his bag and stuffed his books in, before going to wait for Alfred by his locker, since the older boy always got upset when the younger would start heading home without him.

It took Alfred several minutes to show. When he finally did he was accompanied by some girl Matthew vaguely recognized clinging to his arm, giggling about something the high school junior must have said. This wasn't all that unusual, Alfred being a self-proclaimed "ladies man" who tended to 'score' (as he and his friends put it) with a new girl every week. Matthew rolled his eyes as his brother opened his catastrophe of a locker without even glancing his way, while he fed the girl some sweet line about her hair or eyes or whatever. She giggled, of course, and Alfred tossed her a wink as he reminded her of their weekend plans and sent her on her way. Only when she had disappeared in a throng of other students did Alfred turn his lecherous grin to his brother.

"And that, lil' bro, is how you romance the ladies," He said, waggling his eyebrows in a way that always made Matthew snicker.

"Thanks for that insightful demonstration, Alfred."

"No prob, bro. I'm always here to help a fella out," He said, closing his locker and ruffling his brother's hair. Matthew pulled back irritated, making Alfred laugh.

"What is she, your third girl this month?"

"Fourth."

"Right." Matthew rolled his eyes again, which seemed to become a habit around the outgoing jock.

"Seriously, though," Alfred said as he adorned his trademark bomber jacket and picked up his bag. "You could really learn a lot from me. You've had, what, one girlfriend?"

Matthew sighed. "I really don't want to get into this right now, Al."

"C'mon, man, I'm not judging or anything. You're clearly good looking, since you take after me, and if you just work on your game a little, you could get, like, any girl you wanted!"

Matthew rolled his eyed at the speech he'd heard plenty of times before, not bothering to reply. He had tried to explain to his brother that he just didn't want to date anyone, that no one really made him feel those 'butterflies' that people like to talk so much about. Alfred just didn't get it. For all his strong points, seeing life from other people's perspectives was an area in which the jock was severely lacking. At his brother's silence, Alfred appeared to give up, letting the subject drop as he instead filled Matthew in on the fascinating details of his how his day went.

The two exited the school into the humid, late-afternoon air. It had gotten considerably warmer since that morning, and the sun was finally breaching through the grey expanse of clouds. The brothers walked lazily back towards home, though Alfred departed before reaching their street, mentioning something about hanging with his buddy Tony and running off to the thriving social life that Matthew could barely comprehend. His own Friday night would be spent doing the few chores his parents appointed him, walking Kumajiro, then settling down for a movie marathon on the beat up old laptop that used to belong to Alfred, who had since been gifted with a much newer model.

When he got through the front door, Matthew kicked off his shoes and proclaimed his arrival to the silent house. The only one who heard of course was Kumajiro, since his parents wouldn't be back from work yet. The big white dog bounded down the stairs, ears perked and tail wagging.

After greeting his fluffy companion with plenty of scratches and kisses, he grabbed an apple and headed upstairs to his room, Kumajiro following at his heels. He dumped his bag by his desk where it would stay untouched until Sunday night, when he would inevitably scramble to finish all of his homework at the last minute. Flopping down on his bed, he prepped a movie on his laptop and paused to let it load while he went out to walk the dog. The rest of his evening was spent exactly how he'd expected, with a lineup of some classic monster movies and Kumajiro curled at his feet. He only went downstairs to greet his parents upon their arrival home, and inform them that Alfred called to say he'd be sleeping over somewhere.

The following day was chilly, the sky overcast and the wind biting. Matthew tucked his bare hands under his arms as a particularly cold gust hit, threatening to send his slender frame flying away with the swirling leaves. He picked up the pace a little as he walked the last few blocks to the grocery store, fingers already numb. He really should have worn gloves, but he hadn't expected the wind to be so damn cold.

The warmth of the small supermarket was inviting as the automatic doors parted and Matthew hurried in. He sniffled and picked up a basket sat by the door and fetched the crumpled list from his pocket. Eggs, milk, cereal (something comprised mainly of sugar, just as Alfred likes), pancake mix, bananas, the usual. Matt was typically the one sent on shopping errands, since Alfred didn't really have the attention span for it, which suited both of them just fine.

Matthew made his way down the empty isles. Not too many people seemed keen on grocery shopping this early on a Saturday morning, and the resulting peace and quiet was quite nice, in Matt's opinion. He picked up eggs and milk, and headed towards the cereal isle. He stopped, however, when a loud, angry sounding conversation reached him from around a corner. Though he couldn't see the speaker, nor understand the words, he recognized the voice immediately.

"Das ist nicht die richtige Art, Blödmann! Weißt du überhaupt, wie man Lebensmittelladen?"

"Ich bin besser als du , Gilbert . Sie haben noch nie eingekauft."

"Die Hölle redest du da, Lutz? Ich ging mit ihnen jede Menge Zeit!"

"Sie ging nur einmal."

"Ja, und ich total gespeichert du geld mit diesem gutschein ich im müll gefunden!"

"Wow, zwei ganze Euro, Gilbert. Du sind ein Lebensretter. "

"Halt die klappe, Lutz."

Considering there was no one else in town who spoke German, to his knowledge, at least, Matthew figured Gilbert must be talking with one of his family members, though neither of them sounded too pleased. Ever the pacifist, Matthew decided it was best to avoid the angry Germans and save himself any conflict. Quietly, he turned and headed in the opposite direction, towards the fresh produce, hoping that by the time he went back for cereal they'd be gone. Their voices carried across the store however, and this time an angry yell was punctuated by obnoxious laughter. Matthew sighed. So much for peace and quiet.

When he eventually returned to the cereal isle, the Germans were nowhere to be found, though Matt could still hear their voices coming from somewhere nearby. He grabbed a box of Cap'n Crunch, Al's favourite, and a box of pancake mix for himself. He figured he was all set, reviewing the list once more, and headed for checkout.

"Oi!" He heard from behind him, though he figured (hoped) the call probably wasn't for him and kept walking.

"Yo! Mattie!" Well, he couldn't ignore that. Matthew turned to see a grinning boy with white hair and red eyes striding towards him. He was caught now. Though, he couldn't for the life of him understand how the German had managed to remember his name. Not even kids who he'd gone to elementary school with could seem to get it right. This fact alone made him smile involuntarily as he greeted the other boy.

"Hello, Gilbert."

"What's good, Mattie?" The boy asked, raising his fist to bump Matthew's.

"Oh, uh, not much." Matt replied, not quite sure what to say. "How about yourself?"

"Oh Luddy and I are just doing some shopping," Gilbert jerked his thumb back at a tall blond boy with a stern face and slicked back hair. Matthew thought he couldn't possibly look more German if he'd tried. "Ludwig's my little bro, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Matthew." Matthew smiled politely as he offered his hand, and Ludwig shook it once firmly.

The German nodded and, in an even thicker accent than his brother's, replied, "Ja, it is good to meet you as vell."

"Yea, yea, introductions and all that good stuff," Gilbert said, slinging and arm around the shorter boy's shoulders. "So Mattie,what brings you to this glorious establishment so early on a Saturday?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Matthew replied, glancing up at the boy currently dragging him around by his shoulders.

"Touche," the other boy snickered. "Ludwig's a hard ass and made me get outta bed, because apparently shopping can't wait until a reasonable hour."

"Zere vas no food, Gilbert. Vat did you expect to eat for breakfast?" Ludwig chimed in, though Gilbert pretended not to hear him.

"So, you still haven't answered my question. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Oh, well, just grocery shopping I guess," Matt said as they started down the candy and snacks isle. "My parents usually send me to do the shopping, and I like to get it out of the way early."

"What, so you can party wildly the rest of the day?"

"Uhh, something like that." If wild partying included sitting at home watching moves then yes, Matthew thought, Gilbert was exactly right.

The albino continued to chat about various subjects that popped into his head, dragging his new friend around the store and trying to stick various sweets and snacks into their cart, which his brother promptly returned to the shelves. Matthew glanced back at Ludwig, who gave him an apologetic look, though he seemed relieved his brother's attentions were focused elsewhere while he continued to shop.

Finally, _finally,_ the German brothers had grabbed everything they needed, and the three proceeded to the checkout. Ludwig ended up asking Matthew for help figuring out the correct change, and the Canadian was more than happy to inform him of the value of nickles and dimes. Gilbert looked totally uninterested during the exchange, and preoccupied himself with fingering a small rip in the sleeve of Matthew's hoodie, succeeding in making it wider. He snickered when the boy swatted his hand away and gave him a disapproving look, which was about as threatening as a toddler's pout, and just as cute.

When the three excited the store, Gilbert turned to the shorter boy, raising his fist. "Well, as much as I'd love to stick around to help make your Saturday a bit more awesome, Mattie, we've still got a ton of unpacking to do, and my dad'll kill me if I don't help."

"That's quite alright, Gilbert. Have a good day," Matthew said, quickly becoming familiar with the ritual fist bumping.

"See ya on Monday, stay awesome!" Gilbert waved over his shoulder, already walking away.

Ludwig sighed and followed after the older boy, stopping to rest a hand on Matthew's shoulder. "Do not vorry, if you just don't encourage him he vill get bored and leave you alone eventually." Matthew smiled at the imposing German's attempt at comfort as he begrudgingly followed the loud oddball that was his brother down the street. Matthew watched them go, genuinely wondering if he really wanted Gilbert to get bored and stop talking to him.

 **A/N: Hello! So yeah, new chapter, yay! Please forgive me if you are fluent in German and notice some errors, for I used google translate. For those of you not fluent in German, like myself, Gil's and Ludwig's conversation roughly translates to this:**

"That's not the right kind, dumbass! Do you even know how to grocery shop?"

"Better than you, Gilbert. You've never even been shopping."

"The hell are you talking about, Lutz? I went with you loads of times!"

"You went once."

"Yeah, and I totally saved you money with that coupon I found in the trash!"

"Wow, two whole Euros, Gilbert. You're a lifesaver."

"Shut up, Lutz."

 **Anyways thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

***Bold means they're speaking in German**

Monday morning arrived, as it so very often does, far too soon for Matthew's liking. Eyes still glued shut from sleep, his hand scrambled to find the button that would silence the incessant blaring of the alarm on his bedside table. Once the noise was muted, he had planned on dozing off for several more minutes, knowing that his brother would wake him up in time for school. He had planned on it, at least, but when something wet and rough and smelling suspiciously of dog food swiped across his face, Matt knew he had no choice but to drag himself out of bed. There's no sleeping once Kumajiro decides it's breakfast time.

Forcing himself into an upright position and setting his feet on the carpeted floor, the fourteen year old yawned widely and rubbed at his eyes. He allowed himself several moments of just lazily sitting on his bed, watching the weak morning sun slowly filter into his room, before hauling himself up and shuffling to the bathroom.

Thankfully he found it unoccupied, and he shooed Kumajiro out of the room so he could shower in peace. He kept his shower short, since he was polite enough to save some of the hot water for Al. Not that the other boy had ever returned the favour, but he felt it was the right thing to do. That, and he'd have to put up with Alfred's bitching all morning, which was something he could really do without.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, Matthew returned to his room, noting that Alfred seemed to be awake, judging by the banging and cursing coming from behind his brother's door. He'd probably stubbed his toe on the dresser again. In his own room the fourteen year old pulled on a pair of Alfred's old jeans, now a little frayed at the knees, and his favourite faded red hoodie. The hoodie that now sported a hole in his sleeve big enough to fit a finger through, courtesy of a certain rambunctious German he'd met only three days ago. He wondered if he'd see him at school today and, if he did, whether or not the albino boy would say 'hi'. It was very possible that Gilbert would find a bunch of new friends who were far more interesting than the shy little Canadian boy, and would want to hang out with them instead. Matthew tried to fight the feeling of disappointment this thought caused, telling himself he really shouldn't get upset over a guy he'd just met that Friday.

Kumajiro barked impatiently, snapping Matthew from his thoughts. "Yeah yeah, I'm getting to it ya big fluffball," the boy muttered to the dog, making his way downstairs. Once Kumajiro was happily tucking into his breakfast, the blond turned his attention to his own.

Twenty minutes later Alfred was bounding down the stairs in a T-shirt and faded jeans, hair damp from his shower. From the kitchen wafted a glorious aroma of something sweet and delicious, and his stomach growled as if on queue.

"Mornin' bro," the football player greeted, swinging around the door frame into the room. Matthew smiled to his brother as he handed him a plate stacked with about six large, fluffy pancakes.

"Morning, Alfred."

The sixteen year old was already at the table stuffing his face with pancakes drowned in maple syrup before Matthew even had the chance to prepare his own plate. By the time he sat down to eat, his brother was about three-quarters of the way through his pancakes, and eyeing the cereal Matt had put on the table for him, familiar with the other boy's voracious appetite.

"So. How was your weekend, Al?" Matthew asked, having not seen his brother at all since Friday afternoon. He remembered when the older boy first started disappearing to hang out with his many friends, and it used to really irritate and hurt him. He'd felt abandoned and ignored, no longer having someone to go to the beach or ride bikes with. That had been years ago, though, and by now he was good at keeping himself entertained. Plus Alfred was a lot to deal with, anyways, and sometimes Matt enjoyed just having peace and quiet.

"Wmll, ey fwnt tww tnys hws-"

" _Please_ don't talk with your mouth full Al, you'll choke."

Alfred hastily gulped down his food before starting again. "Well, I went to Tony's place Friday, played his awesome new fighting game -he has a PS4 now, his parents are so rich- then we went to Kevin's place and hung out and his dad let us take turns driving his truck, which was awesome. Then Saturday I saw Jennifer, she's pretty cute but not really someone I'd see long term, ya know? Then we saw Mikey and Sam and we headed to Alex's place, then hung out by the beach and had a party, Mikey's older bro got us all beers, he's pretty cool. Then..." Alfred went on for a good few minutes more, filling his brother in on all the various nuances of his complex social life. Who hooked up with who, which parties he went to, why so-and-so was upset with so-and-so, the usual high school stuff.

Matthew listened with half and ear as he cleared up their breakfast and put some pancakes aside for their parents, who wouldn't be up for another couple hours or so. Alfred poured himself a bowl of cereal and, not for the first time, the younger boy wondered how the hell his brother could eat so much and stay so fit. It was probably all the sports, but still. Even for an athletic teenager, Alfred could pack away unhealthy amounts of food.

Matthew glanced at the clock above the stove, which read 8:40, and decided they should get going. Grabbing his backpack, now full of hastily and poorly completed homework, Matthew exited the house into the crisp, cold air. The pair of brothers set off down the same path they'd walked since elementary school, and the younger boy sighed, preparing himself for the week ahead.

* * *

Gilbert Beilschmidt awoke at 8:45 am, yawned, stretched, and promptly rolled over, deciding it was still way too early to get up. Any time before noon was just unheard of to the fifteen year old, who needed at least a good ten hours of sleep to function. So you can imagine his vexation when there came a loud hammering at his door, and someone suddenly drew back the thick, dark curtains meant to keep out the morning sun. Gilbert hissed and groaned, grabbing a pillow and hiding his light-sensitive eyes beneath it.

" **Gilbert**!"It sounded like a drill sergeant was standing next to his bed. " **It is Monday, school begins in twenty minutes, and you are not even out of bed! Get up!** "

Just then the warm sheets that he'd wrapped around himself were ripped from his body, and the albino boy whined in a most undignified manner.

" **Do I have to drag you again? I will if I have to, brother.** "

" **Nooo, Luddy, go away. I don't wanna go to school.** "

" **You are acting like a child. Get up or I'll call father.** "

This seemed like more than enough incentive, as Gilbert groaned and literally rolled out of his bed. He glanced up to find his younger brother already dressed and prepared to leave, staring down at him with a look that would make most people piss themselves. He was not most people, though. Having been subjected to that look by his father, mother, and now brother, his whole life had desensitized him the the doom those clear blue eyes promised.

Sighing he grabbed the first articles of clothing he found scattered across his bedroom floor that didn't smell like B.O. or mold and threw them on. He didn't bother showering, since he'd done that yesterday, and once he was dressed he trudged down the stairs to where his brother was standing rigidly next to the front door. He knew the younger boy had been disgusted to enter his pig stye of a bedroom, which was why he'd waited until so late to get him up. Of course, keeping his brother away was partially the reason that Gilbert allowed his bedroom to get so disgusting. That and laziness.

As Ludwig opened the door and made his way out to their mother's car, Gilbert quickly grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl in the kitchen and checked his hair in the hall mirror, ensuring it was just the right amount of tussled. When he climbed into the backseat of the car (Ludwig having taken shotgun) his mother gave him a stern look before backing the vehicle out of the driveway.

" **You should really try to be more punctual like your brother, Gilbert. It would do you a world of good.** "

The boy in the backseat ignored her, familiar with this chiding. He knew she was irritated with him, but her ire was never as severe as their father's, so he didn't mind all that much. He was used to being the disappointing son, anyways. Ludwig was the golden child, of course. Never late, always presentable, forever trying to make his parents proud. Gilbert, well, he stopped trying to fit his parent's mold long ago and, as such, his relationship with them was less than phenomenal.

After about fifteen minutes, the car pulled up to the grey, two-story brick building that looked more like a prison than a school. Mrs. Beilschmidt ushered the boys out with a brief " **Behave yourselves** ," which both boys knew was directed at Gilbert, and drove off. The older of the two rolled his eyes as he headed towards the entrance, Ludwig following close behind. When they entered the high school, the Germans found a crowd of eyes trained on them, most kids in the small town unused to getting new students. And, of course, unused to new students with such strange colouring as Gilbert's.

Ignoring the crowd, the brothers straightened their shoulders and confidently made their way towards the lockers they'd been assigned on Friday. All the while, the albino boy kept his eyes out for a head of wheat-gold hair and blue eyes. He'd already decided, after seeing him unexpectedly in the grocery store, that Matthew would make an optimal friend. There was just something about his quiet, agreeable personality that the loud, brash German boy found likable. Something about him that told Gilbert they'd be good together. As friends, that is.

Finally, through the crowd he spotted the exact shade of blond hair that was Mattie's. Before he could call out, however, the boy turned around and, despite the uncanny resemblance to his friend, Gilbert could tell immediately that was not the boy he was looking for. He was taller, for one, and lacked a certain softness about his features. Plus, the guy was laughing and joking boisterously with a bunch of other kids, which just seemed uncharacteristic of Matthew, despite only having met the boy twice.

If there was one thing Gilbert was good at, it was getting a 'sense' of people. Most, upon first meeting him, would not think that the albino was capable of focusing on anything but himself, but he could actually be incredibly observant. Not that he deemed anyone 'awesome' enough to get close enough to find this out, though. The less people you get attached to, the less people there were to abandon you when times got tough, was how he saw it. And he was perfectly content with keeping people at an arm's length. Matthew would at least provide entertainment, though, and Gilbert found him way more interesting than the majority of people he'd met in Canada so far.

It looked, however, like his search would have to continue at the break, since the bell signalling the start of class had just rang. Ludwig had hurried off to his first class, going off about the importance of punctuality, but the older boy couldn't care less. He was new, so of course he'd be late to class. Friday had been spent getting registered and shown around the school, as well as some interview type thing with the principal, so that left today to make first impressions with the teachers. Another thing Ludwig cared more about than he did.

Checking the crumpled piece of paper that was his new class schedule, he saw that his first class would be English, room 206. Unlike his brother, he wouldn't have to take an ESL (English Second Language) course, since he'd taken the time to learn the language back in Germany. Everyone there had to take a mandatory English class, but he'd actually excelled at it whereas Ludwig just hadn't been interested. Looking back on it, that might have been why. He just wanted to have one thing he was better at than his little brother. And damn if he wasn't proud.

Eventually, after much wandering through unfamiliar hallways, a teacher called the German boy over, asking what he was doing out of class.

"Just trying to find room 206, sir," Gilbert said, figuring a little kissing up to the stern-looking man couldn't hurt. The albino could tell this was the type of teacher who'd dish out detentions for being five minutes late or some bullshit like that.

"Down that hall and through the double doors. Third door on the right."

"Thanks."

Sure enough, Gilbert found room 206, though the door was shut. He knocked, and a young woman with short red hair answered.

"Ah, hello. You must be..." She looked at her class list. "Gilbert. Lovely to meet you, I'm Miss Hill. Class," She said, beckoning him into the room, "We've got a new student, all the way from Germany. I know you'll all make him feel very welcome."

Gilbert stared out at a sea of blank faces, expressionless and uncaring. Sure enough, there was no sign of a particular blond boy, so without a word he took his seat in an empty desk near the middle.

"Right then. As I was saying, you'll have a 2000 word book report due by the end of winter break..."

Gilbert zoned out, staring at the posters and things on the walls. There was one he found particularly amusing, it said: _Be an optimist prime. Not a Negatron_ above the pictures of a happy and sad robot. It actually made him smile. Although looking at the clock, he saw there was another forty minutes until the next bell. This would be a long day.

* * *

History, Geography, Art, and Science came and went, and there was still no sign of Matthew. At lunch Gilbert had searched the cafeteria and wandered the halls, but he couldn't seem to find that certain Canadian. He'd met some other people who were pretty cool, though. There was Francis and Arthur, who were both from other countries as well. But they'd come to Canada so long ago that they'd still basically grown up in this town like everybody else. There was also Elizabeta. She was attractive, but also pretty abrasive, and nearly smacked him upside the head in response to his flirting. So Matthew was still the best choice of friend, in his opinion. If only he could find the damn kid.

And so the last period rolled around, and he trudged into his Math class, which Francis had helped him find, feeling pretty put out. That was, of course, until he spotted just the right shade of wheat-gold hair he'd been searching for all day. And this time, without a doubt, he knew it was actually Matthew who was sitting in the back corner, staring out the window. _Finally_. Grinning, the German boy sauntered over, and plopped himself in the seat next to the blond.

"You're pretty fuckin' elusive, ya know that?"

Matthew jumped at the loud voice that cut through his musings. Turning, he found a familiar grinning red-eyed boy staring back at him.

"Oh. Uhm, Hi."

"I've been looking for you all day. Where the hell've you been?"

"Looking? For me?" Now there was a new one. Typically it was his brother that people searched for, since he was the far more popular of the brothers. Matthew briefly wondered if the albino actually thought he was talking to Alfred right now. The two seemed like they'd get along.

"Yeah, Mattie. You're, like, my best friend so far. I mean, we only met like three days ago, but I can tell you're pretty awesome, so I've decided we're gonna be friends, you and I."

Matthew was at a loss for words. This was definitely new. First off, no one ever called him awesome, unless you counted Alfred, who typically only called him that when Matthew did him a favour. And secondly, he'd never had anyone so bluntly demand his friendship. He could feel his face getting a bit hot, and he turned away nervously.

"O-okay." He stammered out.

"Seriously, though," Gilbert continued. "Where do you eat lunch? I couldn't find you anywhere."

"Oh, heh. Typically I eat in the music room. The teacher's really cool and no one else really – Er, I like the peace and quiet in there." Matthew was a little hesitant to inform Gilbert that he basically had no real friends who he hung out with, worried the boy would figure there was a reason for that and rescind his offer for friendship.

"Awesome. Do they have guitars here? I used to play back in Germany, but my old man made me sell my guitar cause it was too big for the move. It really sucked."

"Yeah, they have two acoustics and an electric one with an amp they let people use during music class."

"Sweet. Looks like I'll be taking music, then."

The bell rang and the teacher, the same hard-faced man who'd given Gilbert directions that morning, entered, ordering the class to take out their textbooks and turn to page 394. For the rest of the class the two boys whispered to each other, chatting about mundane things. The teacher called them out at one point, which kept them quiet for a whole five minutes before Gilbert cracked and whispered a joke about being 'High on potenus' when the teacher said something about the hypotenuse of a triangle. This made Matthew crack up, earning him a hard stare and threat of detention which thankfully wasn't followed through on.

When they were released from the hell known as math class, Gilbert walked with Matthew back to the blond's locker, noting where it was so he might actually be able to find his friend in the future.

"Well, I'd better go find Alfred. He likes to walk home with me." The blond boy closed his locker, swinging his backpack onto his shoulders.

"Alfred?"

"My brother," Matthew explained. "He's in grade 11."

"Oh shit, Matt. Does he look a lot like you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Cause I only saw him, like, five times today and kept thinking it was you but it wasn't. It was starting to drive me crazy, man."

Matthew laughed. "Sorry Gilbert. A lot of people tend to get us mixed up."

"I can see why. Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, sure. See you later, Gilbert."

"See ya Mattie."

Gilbert waved and made his way down the opposite end of the hallway, and Matthew couldn't help but smile as he watched him go. It was strange. Some guy from Germany just shows up and suddenly you've gotten yourself a new best friend. But it was nice, the boy had to admit, that someone had actually cared enough to remember his name, and seek him out to talk to him, and actually differentiate him from his brother. That thought had him smiling to himself even as Alfred gave him the usual 'you need to find love' lecture, and bored him once again with talk of his many 'conquests'.

Matthew just couldn't stop smiling.

 **A/N: Yay, new chapter! I really hope you're liking this story so far! Sorry if it's a bit slow, but I like those multi-chapter stories where it takes a while to get to the romancy bits. It just makes me feel more invested in the characters, so that's what I'm trying to do here. Again please let me know if you have any comments, criticism, or suggestions, it's greatly appreciated! Also the 'high on potenuse' joke is from a Key & Peele skit, in case you didn't know. I didn't come up with it all by myself. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Matthew yawned tiredly as he tried, for the third time, to enter his lock combination correctly. It was early, and he was sleepy, and it wasn't his fault if he kept confusing 12 with 21. After the fourth try, the lock finally relented and he could shove his backpack into his narrow locker, pulling out his binder and textbook. When he closed the flimsy metal door, he let his head rest against the cool surface for a few moments. _Thank god it's Friday_ , was all he could think. It was still early in the year, so the schoolwork wasn't typically overwhelming, but this past week he'd been saddled with two essays and a presentation. One of the essays was handed in yesterday, and the other would be due Monday. But today he'd get to struggle through ten minutes at the front of the class, trying to talk loud enough that his voice could be heard and wishing the floor would just swallow him up. It was like his teachers were all conspiring against him, testing to see how much it would take before he cracked and punched someone in the face or something.

"Yo Mattie!" A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and the quiet boy nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Jesus, Gil! You nearly gave me a heart attack," he said, turning around to glare at his new friend. There was one good thing about the week, he supposed. Gilbert had proven to be a surprisingly good friend. They'd eaten lunch together every day so far, and could joke around and laugh as if they'd known each other for ages. It was strange, that one person could come into your life and it felt like they'd been there all along, but it was certainly a welcome change for Matthew. Typically it was difficult for him to get close to people, just because he was so shy, and didn't tend to take the initiative when it came to making plans. Gilbert's enthusiasm seemed more than able to make up for that, though.

Currently the red-eyed boy was grinning down at him, clearly pleased with himself for nearly making him piss his pants.

"So," Gilbert said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "This is like our one week anniversary of friendship, right?"

"Come on, Gil," the shorter boy said, smirking and rolling his eyes. "You're not serious?"

"Course I am, Matt. Never been more serious in my life. You should be celebrating the moment my awesome self decided to bless you with the pleasure of my company."

"Yeah, and a concussion."

"That was just an added bonus. Anyways, what awesome plans have you got this weekend?" The German asked as the two began walking to his locker. This had kind of become their morning routine; Gilbert would meet Matthew at his locker, then they'd walk to his before parting ways until lunch time, where they'd once again meet in the music hallway.

The blond thought for a moment. "Well, there's writing a three page essay about the life of some old dead guy, then watching Saturday night hockey. Aside from that... insane amounts of partying and alcohol consumption, probably," he said dryly.

Gilbert laughed. "Sounds like a blast, Matt. Think you got time in your busy schedule to hit the beach?"

"The beach? Gil, it's the middle of October."

"Yeah...and?"

"Who the hell goes to the beach in October?"

"Cool kids, Mattie." Gilbert swung an arm around his friend's shoulder. "We don't have to swim. Besides, what the hell else is there to do in this town? Unless you want to go grocery shopping again."

The shorter boy chuckled as they arrived at Gilbert's locker and the arm around his shoulders was removed. He tried to push down the odd sense of loss.

"Seriously, Mattie, I asked to be nice, but you don't actually get a say in this. We're going to the beach."

Matthew sighed, but figured that there wasn't much else to do, and so agreed to meet his friend at the beach on Saturday afternoon. As strange as it was to go to the beach in October, he had to admit he was excited to have weekend plans with someone that didn't involve studying or school work for once.

The two parted ways when the morning bell rang, Matthew to History and Gilbert to English, punctuating this with their ritual fist-bump. The Canadian boy left down the hallway with a feeling of nervous anticipation settling in his stomach. He had no idea what he'd do at the beach with Gilbert, or how to make their outing interesting. He really didn't want to bore his friend, and ruin his chance at having someone to actually hang out with. Perhaps he'd ask Albert for help, his brother was used to taking girls out on dates. Not that this would be like a date or anything, they were just hanging out. As friends. Matthew laughed to himself at the ridiculous image of him and Gilbert sitting at a diner and sharing a milkshake, like in the movies. Or going for a walk and holding hands or something silly like that. Or maybe having a picnic and getting caught in the rain, or-

"-atthew. Matthew!" A hand was on his shoulder, shaking him from his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, uhm, hi Elizabeta. Sorry, what was that?" He smiled apologetically at the pretty brunette standing in front of him, concern colouring her expression.

"You alright there, space cadet? I called your name like five times," she said, cocking an eyebrow and putting a hand on her hip.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about..." Matthew blushed, recalling what he'd been thinking about. "Uhm, nothing."

"Oookay then. Well, I was just asking about the presentation, if you finished your part of the powerpoint?"

"Oh yeah, of course. It's all done."

"Great, good to hear. And your script's all memorized?"

Matthew nodded.

"Perfect. I'll see you fifth period. And Matt?" She put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't be nervous, alright? We'll totally rock this presentation."

"Right, yeah. Good, that's good," he nodded again, though he looked a little unfocused. "See you Elizabeta."

"Bye, Matt." She watched him down the hall, wondering what on earth had the usually attentive, polite boy so distracted. She didn't know, but she was sure as hell going to find out.

* * *

Gilbert sauntered into his first period class feeling pretty fucking pleased with himself. He had an awesome friend to hang out with, a few other new acquaintances, and he was pretty sure that more than a couple girls were already smitten with him, if the way they giggled with each other and cast him frequent glances was any indication. Only one week in and he was already finding a place here for himself.

He searched the half-filled classroom. Spotting a lanky boy with dirty-blond hair seated in one of the middle rows, he grinned and made his way towards him.

"Sup, Francis?" He greeted, plopping himself next to the teenager. Francis turned from his flirtatious conversation with the cute redheaded girl sitting on his other side to face the German.

"Ah, Bonjour mon ami," he said with a charming smile and motion of his hand. "And 'ow iz my dazzling European friend on zis fine morning?" Francis, like Matthew, was one of the few people Gilbert deemed 'awesome' enough to share his company right off the bat. It might be the fact that Francis was extraordinarily good at kissing up to people, or it might be that he had the same crude sense of humour, but either way, the two got along like a house on fire.

"Pretty awesome, man. What's good with you?"

The french boy smirked lecherously and leaned in as if to confide some dark secret. "Well, do you remember zat cute girl from Science? Ze one with ze large... assets?" Francis' hands came up to clutch the air in front of his chest, grinning.

"How could I not?"

"Mmm, well, guess who has her number?"

"No." Gilbert's eyes went wide with amazement. Francis only nodded sagely.

"Trust me, my friend. Zere iz no one more skilled in the art of l'amour zan I."

The German nodded his appreciation and gave a low whistle. Just then, a blonde boy with bushy eyebrows whose name Gilbert hadn't bothered to remember scoffed from somewhere behind them. Francis turned to engage the boy in an argument about his superior romancing skills, and the German rolled his eyes.

They basically had this same argument every morning. He wondered how the two didn't get tired of it, or how neither of them had ripped the other's throat out. Though the kid behind him, Arnold or Arthur or whatever, seemed to get in these types of arguments frequently with a few different people. Matthew's brother, for example. Gilbert would spot him occasionally when searching for Matt, and often noticed him either flirting with or bugging the shit out of the guy behind him, despite being a year ahead of them. This weird, convoluted love/hate relationship or whatever it was was something Gilbert really didn't want to get involved in, and so he turned to the front to let Francis and the kid have their petty argument.

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully, the pent up energy of every student dying for that final bell to ring prevented any work from getting done. And Matthew, despite all the stressing and worrying, actually made it through his presentation with very few hiccups. It was probably because outspoken Elizabeta handled most of the talking, but he still came away from it feeling like he hadn't failed, which was always a good thing. He informed Gilbert of this minor success during math, and his friend gave him a pat on the back, looking genuinely proud of him. Something about Gilbert's smile was infinitely more rewarding than any good grade could have been.

* * *

Saturday afternoon was windy and cold, as per usual, but at least it wasn't raining. When Matthew stepped out of the house, the sky was like a sheet of white paper stretched out as far as he could see, not a single break in the cloud cover. _What a fine day for the beach_ , he thought sarcastically.

Matthew pulled at the black strip of leather attached to the collar of what his neighbours referred to as his polar bear. The huge white dog was pacing the top step, tongue lolling and tail wagging excitedly, clearly antsy to get going. Matthew figured Gilbert wouldn't mind the company; he'd mentioned something about loving animals. Plus, Kumajiro had the added bonus of calming his nerves, giving him something to focus on instead of standing around awkwardly with nothing to say.

He was to meet Gilbert at 2:00, and his watch read 1:43, so he had plenty of time to walk down to the pier where they'd agreed to meet. Matt wondered how Gil was going to get there, whether or not he'd get lost. Gilbert had seemed confident when they'd arranged it (though when didn't he seem confident?) so Matthew decided to just trust the boy. If all went wrong, at least he still had Kumajiro. He gave his companion a loving scratch just behind the ears, and let his feet drop down the porch steps.

The walk to the pier took entirely too long and not long enough. When the old dock came into view, filled with plenty of bright boats but lacking a certain white-haired boy, Matthew sighed. That was fine, he could wait. He hunkered down on a bench just in front of the pier, situated so that he could look both ways down the street. He refused to acknowledge the anxious thoughts beginning to gnaw at the edges of his mind. Gilbert would show up. And if he didn't, there'd be a perfectly good reason for it. _Like he forgot_. Matthew tried to repress that thought, too. The German hadn't forgotten his name, hadn't forgotten where his locker was or where he ate lunch. He genuinely seemed to want to spend time with him, so really there was no reason to worry. Though as the minutes ticked by, it got harder and harder to believe that.

He checked his watch. 2:13. Okay, it's not like he expected Gilbert to be here at 2 on the dot. It's fine. The wind blew in from the open water at his back, chilling him to the bone. Matthew tucked his arms around himself and tried to show equal interest as Kumajiro in a beetle crawling across the pavement. Then the white muzzle came down and snapped up the beetle in its jaws, and Matthew was thoroughly disgusted. "That's gross, Kuma. Remind me never to invite you to a dinner party." The dog ignored him, happily chewing on the bug, face that of pure contentment.

Matthew sighed and looked down the road for the umpteenth time, perking up when he noticed someone walking in his direction. They had a black hoodie pulled over their head and a pale face, and looked to be about the right size and shape of a certain German boy. The Canadian tried not to let his heart leap out of his throat when the boy got close enough to be recognizable. When their eyes met Gilbert flashed him a thousand-kilowatt smile and lifted his hand from his pocket.

"Yo Mattie!" Matthew felt all the tension and worry leave his body as he got up to greet his friend. He didn't even know why he'd been so worked up in the first place.

"Hey, Gil."

Kumajiro's ears perked up and he focused intently on the stranger. He was always ready to to meet anyone who might give him attention or food, and his tail began waging furiously as the man noticed him and began to reach out his hand.

"Sorry I'm kinda late, my dad was, uh..." He broke off with an awkward laugh. "Hey this your dog?" Gilbert bent to pet a fluffy head that immediately jerked forward to sniff out any treats that might be hiding in his pockets. Matthew laughed, trying and failing to rein in the 50 lbs of restless energy.

"Yeah, sorry, he's kinda excitable. I wasn't sure whether to bring him..."

"Nah man, he's totally awesome. He got a name?" Gilbert asked as he began scratching behind the dog's ears, trying to avoid being slobbered on.

"Kumajiro."

Gilbert gave him a look. "Cool. No way I'm gonna pronounce that right, so I'll just call him Fluffy."

"A-alright then. So... did you have any idea what you wanted to do?"

"Nope. Figured we could just walk around. Check shit out. You know."

"Okay, sounds good," Matthew nodded. He began in the direction of the beach. They walked down the shallow wooden steps just before the start of the dock and onto a wide expanse of flat grey sand. To the north, on the other side of the pier, was a maze of docks and walkways usually lined with fishing boats and lobster traps. In the mornings and evenings one could hear the shouts of fishermen preparing their ships or unloading the day's catch, but for now it was silent, the men all out at sea. Matthew didn't yet know what he wanted to do with his life, but he knew it wasn't the daily grind of waking up at the asscrack of dawn to spend an entire day hauling fish out of the sea, getting back exhausted and falling into bed, just to do it all over again the next day. He headed instead toward the south, where the beach stretched on uninterrupted, ending eventually at a distant tree-line.

"Hey, can I hold it?" Gilbert suddenly asked.

"Wh-wha?" Matthew looked at him startled, not sure how to respond to that.

"The leash. You mind if I walk Fluffy?" Matthew looked down to see Gilbert's hand motioning to the lead. Oh.

"Yeah, sure," he said, handing it over to the other boy. Kumajiro sensed this change at once, simply in the way the tension in the leash shifted. Where Matthew had built up a bond of trust and loyalty with his dog, training him since puppyhood, it was clear that Gilbert was entirely unfamiliar with canines. Kumajiro, of course, was like a classroom full of students faced with a substitute teacher, immediately gauging how much he could get away with. He pulled ahead of Gilbert, veered off to sniff something interesting, refused to budge when the leash was yanked and was generally just a disobedient shit.

Matthew observed Gilbert's struggling with a great deal of amusement.

"Mattie your dog's an ass. Wh- Don't laugh at me!" Matthew couldn't keep the giggles from escaping his lips at the sight of the confident, commanding German being bossed around by a bratty fluffball.

"Stop laughing! Mattieee," he whined.

Before Matthew could take pity on his friend and take the leash from him, Kumajiro spotted something across the beach that he absolutely had to get to, and Gilbert was being dragged away. He dug his heels into the sand, but it provided no purchase and the dog had dragged him a good several meters before Matthew shouted at him to let go of the leash. He did, and Kumajiro was off like a lightning bolt, and Gilbert was tasting a mouthful of sand.

"Jesus! Gil, are you okay?" Matthew was beside him, placing his hand on the German boy's shoulder. Gilbert didn't move to get up right away, instead staring after the dog which he decided was no longer awesome.

"Heh, ja Mattie, I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting your dog to be a fucking maniac." He laughed as he sat up, brushing the sand from his hair and clothes. Matthew assisted, though he got distracted when his hands patted the front of Gilbert's shirt and felt a hard, flat abdomen, not having expected his friend to be so...muscular. The other boy looked up at him when his hands didn't move from his stomach, and when he realized what he was doing Matthew retracted them as if he'd been burned.

"Uh- s-sorry. Um." He got up, and held out a hand to help Gilbert to his feet. He took it, and didn't immediately let go once they were both standing, only looked at Matthew with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Should- ah, should we get your dog back?"

"Oh!" Matthew looked to where Kumajiro was running around sniffing at the ground and frantically waging his tail. Putting on his best stern voice, Matthew called, "Kumajiro! Come!"

The dog looked up at him, expressionless black eyes seeming to consider something. "Now!" At that the dog rushed forward, seeming to understand that Matthew meant business. When his overgrown brat returned, Matthew snatched up his leash and, though he knew Kuma didn't deserve it, scratched him under his chin. Gilbert crossed his arms and glared with as much hatred possible at the adorable fluffy mutt. He didn't know how, but the German was certain the dog looked smug as they continued on their walk.

The boys laughed and joked with each other, walking the length of the beach and eventually making it to where the sand began to turn into sharp, jagged rocks. When Gilbert thought they'd turn around to head back, Matthew kept walking, beginning to climb with sure footing amongst the boulders, and Gilbert just shrugged and followed suit, trying to place his feet exactly where Matthew did.

"The beach doesn't quite end here", the blond boy said by way of explanation. "There's a place further up I know a lot of kids go to have campfires and stuff."

After a couple minutes the rocks began to get smaller and flatter, and when the boys had their feet on sand again it was in a large, circular clearing bordered on one side by stones and on the other by tall skinny trees. There was a fire pit in the centre with logs haphazardly placed around it, and the remnants of beer bottles and cigarette butts led Gilbert to believe this was the site of plenty of high school parties.

"Sweet hangout. How'd you even find this place?"

"Alfred and I used to explore the beach a lot. We found a bunch of secret hideouts and stuff like this. We used to play capture the flag and manhunt and stuff. Though... now he mostly uses them for parties." Gilbert nodded in approval, though not missing the sad smile that flitted across his friend's face.

"Hey, well now you can show them to me, right?"

Matthew smiled brightly and nodded, any trace of sadness gone from his features. "Sure. There's a couple more places further along down the beach," he pointed to somewhere over the rocks, "or there's a path through the forest right here that leads to some bike paths and walking trails and stuff. If you walk it far enough you'd get to a hiking trail that connects to the closest town just over those hills. Uhm, where did you want to go?"

Gilbert shrugged. "You pick."

Matthew looked slightly surprised at this before nodding and suggesting the two head into the forest. They left the clearing through a narrow path in the trees that Gilbert hadn't noticed. It was small, but clearly well-trodden, giving him the sense that the kids in this town liked to party, and often. Not Matthew, though, it would seem. The German could tell he definitely wasn't the partying type. He seemed perfectly content to just go for a walk in the woods, no alcohol or drugs needed to have a good time. He could respect that.

The path was so thin that the boys walked shoulder to shoulder, with the dog, who had been let off his leash, leading the way just in front of them. Gilbert's warmth was a comforting presence at Matthew's side, and he could feel the other boy shake when he laughed. His laugh was infectious, too. Anytime the German found something amusing and chuckled in this weird way of his, Matt would find himself laughing along, even if he himself didn't find it that funny. Of course, Gilbert himself could be downright hilarious.

"So then he turns around with panic all over his face, and he's just holding the shit stained pants and my mother's crying with laughter, and I swear I've never seen Lutz so fucking mortified in his life!" Matthew was laughing so hard he was nearly doubled over, wiping a few tears from his eyes. "The worst part was the next day our mother made him go back and apologize to the neighbours, and he's never been able to look 'em in the eye since."

Kumajiro watched them with mild concern for their well being and great concern for his own, until eventually the laughter died down enough that the boys could keep walking.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to look at Ludwig the same way."

"Oh yeah, he tries to pull all that mature big guy crap on me and I just remember all the embarrassing shit he'd kill me for telling anyone. So, naturally, I'm telling you." Gilbert nudged Matt playfully, earning a swat to his arm.

"Yeah. Same with Alfred. People are always fawning over how cool and competent he is, but I remember him throwing tantrums over not being able to play a video game... at the age of twelve."

"Heh, he sounds charming."

Matthew hummed in agreement.

A comfortable silence fell over them then, and they were content to just watch Kumajiro bound happily through the trees. The clouds were finally breaking overhead, and the sun began to filter through the dense canopy, creating bright rays of gold and deep shadows. The ground was dappled with flecks of sunlight, and when Kumajiro stopped running long enough to be observed, the light on his pristine fur made him look like a living painting. Matthew couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so calm around another person, not contemplating what to say or do next. That was, until he turned to look at his friend and found his face much closer than he'd anticipated, the other boy wearing a strange, wicked smirk on his face. Gilbert had leaned in, and the boys stopped walking, and for a brief, horrifying moment Matthew thought the German was about to kiss him and he could swear his heart was trying to beat itself straight out of his chest. And then Gilbert opened his mouth and burped in his face, and his shoulders sagged in relief and disgust and Matthew decided he was 100% done with this kid's shit.

"Seriously Gil?" He was met by the other's cackling. "We were having a nice moment admiring the forest, and you just had to go and ruin it. And here I thought you actually had it in you to be mature," Matthew admonished him, only half joking.

They emerged from the woods a short time later, and Matthew put Kumajiro back on his leash before heading out into the town. They walked down a few side streets, noticing how the sun's late afternoon light made everything look bright orange and yellow and gold. They finally stopped when they made it back to the pier, now a bit more alive with activity than a couple of hours ago.

"Well, I should probably get going," Gilbert said, though a little reluctantly.

"Yeah, me too."

"It was awesome hanging out, Matt." The German said with the traces of a sincere smile on his face, instead of the usual smirk. Matthew nodded his agreement and the taller boy made to leave, then seemed to hesitate a little before wrapping Matthew up in a hug. The shorter boy, caught off guard once again, rested his hands tentatively on the other boy's back, feeling warmth beneath his palms. When Gilbert let go they stood facing each other a bit awkwardly before he turned to leave again, calling "See ya Monday, Matt," over his shoulder. The blond watched a little dazed as his friend left, before smiling at Kumajiro and heading home himself.

 **A/N: So sorry this took so long, writing hard :'D Also sorry if the ending seems a bit rushed or the pacing feels off, but after days of revising and rewriting this chapter I kinda gave up a little. Plus it's difficult to look objectively at your own work so I can't really tell. Also if you are at all invested in the outcome of this story don't worry, I do plan on finishing what I started... even if it takes a little while. So yeah, have an excellent day/night/whatever! :)  
**


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